WORTH THE ZERO
Sometimes, an animal simply chooses you.
And you have no say in the matter.
This is what happened to Mammoth resident Alexandre Browner two years ago.
She took her then-newish boyfriend Taylor to his first Mule Days over Memorial Day weekend, and they were cruising the stables the way a car aficionado might cruise a car lot.
There was one older mule, not very good teeth. $7,500.
The next one: A younger, larger mule. Who immediately put his head on Alexandre’s shoulder.
His teeth were good. A woman who had ridden him in the parade was there. She said he was a bit … temperamental. That he had nipped at her at one point. Maybe that’s why his price was low. Just $3,500.
Low enough to entertain a thought … even though Alexandre had never ridden a mule and knew nothing about them.
Her dog had died recently at 18-years old. Named Adrian. She had asked Adrian from heaven beyond to “Send mommy the right baby.”
Was this mule the right baby? After all, the right babies don’t necessarily show up in the packages we expect.
What’s his name? Alexandre asked the rider, gesturing to the difficult mule.
“Rocky.” Seriously. Adrian had sent her Rocky?!?! The serendipity was rich. And he was being boarded in Bishop at Hidden Creeks Ranch.
It was all lining up. But there was just one hitch.
One missing zero.
The price wasn’t $3,500. It was $35,000!
But then fate intervenes again. Out of nowhere, a $15,000 insurance settlement check for a years-ago car accident materializes. Her boyfriend, Taylor, says he’ll contribute $5,000 to the cause. The owners take the $20,000 offer. And the deal goes through on June 16 – Adrian’s birthday.
Alexandre busts out her phone and shows me a video. She had brought the contract to Rocky’s paddock and waved at him and said, “Hey, are you ready to be mine? Are you excited?”
At that, he went jumping and prancing off.
Some things are meant to be.
Alexandre spent her formative years in Mammoth before moving to Southern California for high school. Her late father served as an officer in the Mammoth Lakes Police Department (his partner was Karen Smart).
She had attended Mule Days many, many times as a spectator, until she competed for the first time last spring (the third time she had ever ridden).
“He knows what to do more than I do,” she said of Rocky.
This year, she’ll compete in three events: western – pleasure; western – ranch riding; and showmanship.
She sees Rocky pretty much every day, going so far as to rent an apartment in Bishop.
Alexandre has spent the past several years working as a super-sub at Mammoth High School, teaching varied subjects from physics to spanish to history.
She served in the U.S. Army from. 2001-2004 as a 63 Bravo Lightweight Vehicle Mechanic for Combat Repair Team 6. She was based out of Fort Lewis in Washington state.
She met Taylor at Liberty in Mammoth at a South Central Skankers concert.
As for Rocky, she says there’s a reason why “stubborn as a mule” is a common idiom.
She recalls being perplexed as to why he would sometimes be reticent about walking to the arena at Hidden Creeks for a workout. Until she realized it was entirely based upon time of day and he didn’t like the sun in his eyes. So she has to walk directly in front him in a sun hat for him to follow.
What else? He likes being read to. His favorite book is “A Cowboy and his Elephant,” the true story of Bob Norris, a Colorado rancher and “Marlboro Man” who adopts an orphaned baby elephant.
Sheet: What are you reading to him these days?
Browner: Well, I’ve been reading a lot of training manuals lately. He doesn’t like them as much.
Mule Days takes place this year over Memorial Day weekend. It starts May 20.
